“More vegetarian/vegan recipes, please!” is a request that we get often on our social media feeds. Today, we’re adding this Easy Stir Fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles to our extensive vegetarian/vegan recipe collection. This is one of those dishes that makes me think that if all vegetarian dishes tasted like it, I wouldn’t mind converting!
In all seriousness though, we could all stand to eat less meat, so we’re always looking to add to our vegetarian/vegan repertoire. Cooking this stir fried cabbage is so easy, there’s no excuse for you not to give it a try!
The first thing that might come to mind in response to that is that you don’t like cabbage, so I’ll see if I can convince you otherwise.
A Different Cabbage Variety…
A big reason why you don’t like cabbage is probably because the standard green ones sold in US supermarkets are not that good! They’re round, heavy, and very solid. This variety doesn’t have much taste, and it turns starchy once cooked.
Asian supermarkets are where I buy my cabbage, and they stock Asian varieties that are lighter green in color, less dense, and more loosely layered.
There’s the flat pumpkin-shaped cabbage (sometimes known as Taiwanese cabbage). This is usually what I buy, but I’ve also seen two other Asian varieties––both are very green, loosely layered, and one has a slightly pointy top.
They might not look like your everyday cabbage, but they taste much sweeter and crunchier even after they’ve been cooked. Try one of these varieties, and trust me, you’ll never look back!
One of the Most Versatile Vegetables
Once you’ve found the right cabbage for you, it’s so versatile. It can add a nice sweet crunch in salads, soups and stews, and, of course, it makes excellent stir fries like this one and our Chinese Dry Pot Cabbage Stir Fry.
As a young kid in a rural Hubei village, scoring a cabbage stem was a treat and a great snack. You would shave off the rough outer layer, and the stem crunched like a carrot with just a hint of sweetness!
Who knew a little cabbage could make a kid so happy?
Not to mention it’s a healthy cruciferous vegetable and stays fresh for a really long time in the refrigerator. In short, I love cabbage! I always have one in my fridge, and without fail, it’s a vegetable I can count on at the end of the week when my other leafy greens might be wilted in the vegetable crisper.
Ok, let’s talk about how to make this recipe.
Stir-fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles: Recipe Instructions
Soak 2 small bundles of dried glass noodles in cold water for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Drain and cut the glass noodles in half lengthwise. Set aside.
Julienne the cabbage thinly.
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing together 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce, ½ teaspoon black vinegar, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and ½ cup water.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook the ginger and garlic until the garlic has browned lightly.
Add the cabbage, and turn the heat to the highest setting. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the cabbage is slightly wilted.
Add the dried chilies (if using).
Add the prepared sauce and the glass noodles.
Stir and mix everything well, turning down the heat a bit if the dish is becoming too dry and risks getting burned.
Salt to taste and add the scallions (I forgot this step in the photos, but you shouldn’t!). Stir to combine once more, and plate!
Serve your stir fried cabbage and glass noodles with a hot bowl of white rice!
Easy Stir Fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 small bundles dried glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli)
- 1½ pounds Taiwanese cabbage (680g)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 slices ginger (julienned)
- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 3-4 dried red chilies (roughly chopped, optional)
- Salt (to taste)
- 2 scallions (chopped)
Instructions
- Soak 2 small bundles of dried glass noodles in cold water for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Drain and cut the glass noodles in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Julienne the cabbage thinly. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing together 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce, ½ teaspoon black vinegar, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and ½ cup water.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook the ginger and garlic until the garlic has browned lightly. Add the cabbage, and turn the heat to the highest setting. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the cabbage is slightly wilted. Add the dried chilies (if using).
- Add the prepared sauce and the glass noodles. Stir and mix everything well, turning down the heat a bit if the dish is becoming too dry and risks getting burned. Salt to taste and add the scallions. Stir to combine once more, and serve!
nutrition facts
The flavor was a bit underwhelming but maybe because I omitted some key ingredients as I need my food to be allium free. It tasted somewhat healthy even though I knew it wasn’t. I was unable to find mung bean noodles and instead substituted for Korean potato noodles which were delicious. This would be a great recipe to build into Jap Jae!
We really liked this. The sauce is a wonderful all-purpose one. I love recipes flexible enough to let the cook succeed even when she doesn’t have all the ingredients. I had the essentials and voilà!
Oh I love this one so much. I like it with the scrambled eggs from the other cabbage and cellophane noodles recipe (which is also awesome) and of course extra red chilis!
I made it the other night and kept the scrambled eggs separate, only mixing them in with the individual serving in my big bowl.
Then when I have the leftovers (like today for breakfast!) I just scramble two more eggs, set aside, reheat an individual portion, same pan, and then add the eggs in for this serving. Breakfast of champions!!! Thank you as always!!
Isn’t it great that cabbage can taste this good :-)
SO great!! Tonight I added eggs AND at the last minute I decided I needed some peanuts pan fried in, too! That’s what I love most about your recipes – you teach us everything and then set us free. ❤❤ thank you. Can’t wait for the cookbook!!
Hahaha…well put, Toni Jean :-)